The PlayStation 2 era was a landmark time for first person shooter (FPS) video games. With the PS2 being the highest selling console ever, game developers brought innovative and classic FPS franchises to the platform, captivating millions of gamers.
In this guide, we will countdown the top 7 FPS games that pushed the PS2 to its limits and defined the genre on the system, leading up to the #1 title that remains the absolute best PS2 FPS of all time even today.
The Groundbreaking PlayStation 2 Console
When the PlayStation 2 launched in 2000, it brought video games into the 21st century. As the successor to the original PlayStation, the PS2 boasted significant hardware improvements:
- DVD drive for higher capacity games
- "Emotion Engine" CPU for better graphics and physics
- built-in USB and Ethernet ports for accessories and internet connectivity
These capabilities allowed the PS2 to render expansive 3D environments and smooth, fast-paced action – perfect for first person shooters.
The PS2 also doubled down on multiplayer with ports for 4 controllers out of the box, and the ability to link consoles together for epic 16 player battles. This made bomning around fragging your friends into gibs more exciting than ever before.
With a massive library of over 3,800 games released, the PS2 to this day remains the best selling console ever – over 155 million units sold. For FPS fans, it marked a high point that modern console shooters still try to emulate.
The Rise of a Genre: First Person Shooters
The concept of first person shooters had existed for years on PC, with early examples like MIDI Maze on the Atari ST, and seminal entries like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom popularizing the format.
The key characteristics of the FPS genre include:
- First person camera perspective from the protagonist‘s point of view
- Real-time action and shooting mechanics
- Navigating through combat zones and obstacles
- A variety of weapons and abilities at the player‘s disposal
Console FPS games simplified some aspects from their computer counterparts to better suit direct controller input. This opened the genre up to a wider audience.
By the late 90s FPS games were landing on consoles en masse. Titles like Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64, and Medal of Honor on the original PlayStation captured millions of fans.
The PS2 took the quantity and quality of console first person shooters to new heights. 3D graphics and physics saw massive improvements, enemy AI became more advanced, level design grew more intricate, and online multiplayerunctuality kicked everything up a notch.
PS2 FPS games moved the genre forward tremendously during the 6th generation of console gaming. Let‘s break down the very best shooters the system had to offer.
#7: Red Faction II
Released in 2002 by Volition and THQ, Red Faction II is the sequel to 2001‘s Red Faction – a revolutionary PS2 FPS featuring geo-modification technology that let players destroy environments.
Picking up 5 years later, the single player campaign puts you in the boots of a super soldier as you lead a team to overthrow an evil dictator. Missions variety from stealth, to vehicular combat, to balls to the wall shooting galleries across diverse locations.
Signature to Red Faction is its excellent geo-mod engine, now allowing for even more explosive destruction. Drywall shatters under gunfire, trees get shredded by explosives, and bridges crumble realistically. This interactivity really set stages apart.
The visuals also received a noticeable bump up from the first game, with detailed textures on character models and environments bringing the dystopian world to life.
While the single player is short at around 6 hours, Red Faction II‘s biggest draw was its fantastic 4-player local multiplayer offering tons of longevity. Across over 40 maps, gamers battled in deathmatches and modes like Capture the Flag for riotous couch competition.
Critics praised the sequel upon launch, and it maintains a strong 84 average on Metacritic to this day. While the lack of online multiplayer was a limiting factor, Red Faction II marks an excellent evolution for the series that FPS fans ought to check out.
#6: TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
In 2005, Free Radical Design wrapped up its beloved TimeSplitters trilogy with the fittingly named Future Perfect. Blending pulse pounding action with hilarious humor, it stands tall as one of the PS2‘s most creative FPS franchises.
Continuing the adventures of Sergeant Cortez, Future Perfect displays tighter gameplay and visuals over earlier entries. Missions remain satisfyingly diverse as Cortez travels from 25th century space, to the Wild West, to the trenches of World War I, and beyond.
Over 150 playable characters are packed in – a series highmark – including monkeys in fezzes and Scottish sock puppets. Unlocking these goofballs provides massive replay incentive.
Multiplayer also hits peak TimeSplitters, with up to 4 player local and 16 player system link options enabling foot-to-foot fusillades. The level editor gives creative gunslingers tons of ways to design their own arenas.
Blending polished action with trademark silliness cemented TimeSplitters status on PS2. Scoring an excellent 84 on Metacritic, Future Perfect is commonly listed among the console‘s best FPS games.
#5: Quake III Revolution
id Software‘s Quake revolutionized computer gaming in the 90s by pioneering true 3D graphics and multiplayer. Quake III Arena took the seminal series online in 1999, kickstarting high skill eSports shooting.
Quake III Revolution brought blistering PC speed and frenetic competition to PS2 in 2001. For many gamers, it provided their first taste of Quake‘s pure focus on skill based arena battles.
Running at a buttery 60 frames per second, Revolution remained fast and smooth as a rail gun spike through the skull.weapons classic to Quake like the lightning gun, rocket launcher, and rail gun kept the toolset familiar.
30 maps ranging from space stations to hellish infernos provided savage battlegrounds. Solo players could sharpen their skills against AI bots, with the main attraction being local 4 player multiplayer driven by violent ASCII charm .
While Revolutions lack of online features was disappointing, critics praised it as a faithful translation that pushed PS2s technical abilities. It maintains a strong 84 on Metacritic to this day. Seen by many as the best pure FPS experience on PS2, Quake III Revolution is a stone cold frag-fest classic.
#4: Half-Life
In one of PlayStation‘s biggest coups, Valve‘s seminal Half-Life arrived on PS2 in 2001 – 3 years after first revolutionizing single player FPS games on PC.
Putting players directly into the shoes of Gordon Freeman, Half-Life eschewed traditional level structures and cutscenes to tell it’s invading alien story completely through environmental detail and gameplay. This greater immersion was revolutionary.
The PS2 version impressively recreated the landmark PC experience. Navigating Black Mesa‘s trapped halls and fighting marines felt as desperate and kinetic as ever. Despite simplified graphics, Half-Life ́s tight design shone through.
Exclusive to PS2 Half-Life was co-op expansion Half-Life: Decay featuring 2 player local split screen. Gamers could also frag one another in deathmatch across unique versus arenas. These modes demonstrated PS2’s focus on social FPS experiences.
With excellent ports being rare at the time, Half-Life on PS2 was an exceptional accomplishment earning high praise. It stands at an 87 on Metacritic today, marking it as one of the highest rated FPS games in the console‘s library.
#3: Red Faction
Before revolutionizing geomod technology with their sequel, Volition introduced the concept in 2001‘s original Red Faction title. Offering groundbreaking environmental destruction, it pushed PS2 FPS experiences into exciting new territory.
On Mars in 2075, miners live under the tyranny of the Ultor Corporation. As Parker, players lead an uprising against the evil conglomerate across 25 missions. Red Faction featured an engrossing sci-fi tale that felt refreshingly mature for PS2 shooters.
Of course the real star was the geomod engine, which calculate realistic physics allowing players to demolish environments with weapons. Blast through doors, explosions carve craters – combat interacts directly with destructible cover. This level of battlefield manipulation was unheard of.
Critics hailed the ambitious technology as the next evolution of FPS level design on consoles. Earning an 88 on Metacritic, Red Faction took the PS2 to new heights and laid foundations for modern destructive shooters.
#2: Medal of Honor: Frontline
Medal of Honor Frontline – PlayStation 2
When Medal of Honor burst onto PS1 in 1999, it brought cinematic World War 2 action to consoles for the first time. By 2002, the PS2 sequel Frontline stormed Normandy‘s beaches to skyrocket the series‘ scope and drama to landmark new levels.
Shifting focus to OSS agent Jimmy Patterson, Frontline spans 20 globetrotting war stories. The D-Day landing immediately set a heart stopping tone never before felt in the series, bombarding gamers with the horrors of war.
Gameplay similarly intensified, arming Patterson with two dozen period authentic weapons like the Thompson and MP40 to plow through Axis armies. Levels took players from European cities, to desert outposts, to mountain bases, showcasing PS2‘s improved graphics and expansive mission design.
Sellling over 3.5 million copies, Frontline was hailed as a technical showpiece proving PS2 as a destination for cinematic yet strategic military FPS action. Still maintaining an 88 on Metacritic today, it remains the top selling PS2 FPS ever.
#1: TimeSplitters 2
Time Splitters – PlayStation 2
What do gunslinging robots, taxidermy gorillas, and greek gods have in common? They’re all playable warriors dueling through space and time in 2002’s TimeSplitters 2! Forged by ex-Rare devs at Free Radical Design, TimeSplitters 2 perfected PS2 multiplayer FPS chaos and stands as the consoles absolute best entry in the genre.
Blending spoofy humor with ingeniously diverse locales, TimeSplitters 2’s time jumping story mode criss-crosses from Prohibition gang wars, to 25th century space armadas, to creepy haunted manors. Wild weapons like bricks of explosives and guided rocket launchers blast baddies with reckless abandon.
Single player clocks in at a hearty 10 hours. But the real pull is TimeSplitters 2’s exceptional mutliplayer allowing up to 16 PS2s to link up for system spanning havoc. Over 100 arcade score attack stages also bring tremendous replay value for solo and co-op players.
With endless content and meticulous mechanics, TimeSplitters 2 earns an outstanding 90 average on Metacritic along with effusive critical praise. It remains renowned as one of PS2‘s best games period – the apex of FPS experiences on the iconic console.
Conclusion
The PlayStation 2‘s groundbreaking hardware elevated console first person shooters to new heights in graphics, design and multiplayer innovation. Franchises like TimeSplitters, Red Faction and Medal of Honor progressed tremendously, capturing millions of fans.
Out of the excellent library, TimeSplitters 2 stands tall by perfecting PS2’s pick up and play local multiplayer mania. With charm and variety to spare, it fulfills the genres promise established by legends like Goldeneye 007 and Doom of friends and family going toe-to-toe into the night.
FPS fans old and new owe it to themselves to explore these PS2 shooters that set the stage for modern classics like Call of Duty and Halo. There are so many fiendish firefights awaiting – your ammo boxes and medkits are ready.
